James ii



Patented Dec. 20, l898.

v w m .R: H m h m "H SP 6 10 T H P.

(No Model.)

SPEGIFICATIGN forming part llletters lll'cteiit lilo. $16,152, cletecl December 20, 7.8538,

Application filed June 13, 1898 Serial l l0= 683,298. (No model!) To (all whom it may concern:

Be it lmowu that l, JAMEs ll. SMITH, of Ohicage, in the county of Cool: and State of liliiiois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Photographers Negative- Trztys, of w iich the following is it full, clear uual exact description, reference being; lief. to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which corresponding letters of reference in the different llgllii-BS iii- (llGit'tO like parts.

My invention has rel'ereuce to whet com monl y known uni orig photographers as neg; olive trays. An important (lifiiculty has heretofore been found in the use of the ll t bottomed uega-l'ivetrey owing to the suction produced while removing the negative-plates from the both. It is not only Cliiiicult to iutrotluce the linger beneath the piste but the least uncertainty of grasp may cause it to slip olt, and in so cloing is liable to tlestroy til-e film. 1 tteoipts have heretofore been l. rustle to overcome this cliiiiculty by one or more depressions in the bottom of the tray to provide room for the insertion of the finger beneath the plate or by forming at series of reiseii portions or knobs above the bottom of the plane of the tray for the plate to rest upon. The objection to the former tlevice is that it does not overcome the suction, while the contact with the latter would at once destroy the film should the plate by mistake be inverted when placed in the bath. Moreover, should the negative-tray be used (as it frequently is by traveling or amateur photographers) for toning prints the film upon the latter would, as a result of agitation in the tray, be ruined by iontact with the projections upon the bottom. The object of my invention is to overcome these difficulties and to so construct a negative-traythat the plate when placed therein may be raised above the bottom and supported only by contact with the extreme edges or corners, While at the some time the bottom of the tray may be smooth and of such a. shape as to. present no irregularity of surface which would teuel to injure or destroy the films of prints while heiug toned therein. or the film of the negative should that side of the plate be plztce cowesuiteblc materiel.

svsrllv when iusertio it in. the tree all. of e a which is hereinafter more particularly speciiietl, sue. poiutecl out in the claim.

lo the drawings, Figure l is 2t perspective view oi? heg'zttive-treyembodying the to titres-of my improvement. Fig. 2 is e. 4 view thereof sugl lligzbis :2 vertical section( view take upon the lice 3, Fig. 2, viowetl in "the cliteotiou of the srrow shown.

Referring to thetlrswiugs, a represents my from a single piece of sheet metal or formed. from hote rubber, pepier-msclie, or other Three of the corners 7) are preferably rouudethwhile the leurth is iornietl into spoutc of the usual shape. i will first clescrihe the construction which i regar l as prefercble. diagonally across from the intersecting sitl'e wells at each corcom meueiiig" or peer the llilGS cl, series of icliued. planes :2, each of which as it approaches the corner from the bottom oi the trey is extended. upwavi'tllysutl eachv of which is oblique to the plane ofseid; bottom.

These surfaces, respectively, may be formed by beveliiig the face of the die upon which the tray is formed at the respective comers. lt Wlll be seen by reference to Fig. 2 that when a, plate g is placed in the tray, as shown in Fig. 3 and iutlicetecl in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the respective corners will rest upon the four inclined corner surfaces 6, thus causing the plate 9 to be supported only at the corners While the entire botly thereof is raised above and lies in. a plane parallel to the bot tom f; but sufficiently separated therefrom, as shown in Fig.- 3, to enable 2t finger to be. inserted beneath the plate at either entl end to lift the same from the bath, while the suction which would occur in. the absence of the inclined corner surfaces would. be wholly avoided. it is obvious, moreover, that prints, which are usually toned. with the film side down, might be agitated within the tray without injury thereto, inasmuch as there are no abrupt surfaces which would. tend to iutertore with oruie-r the tielicste film.

is. Fi 1 l have ihtlicstec e modifiecloou structioo which. I claim as the mechanical 1 equivalent of thct shove described. The do? ted lines It in said figure indicate the beginning and end or the lower and upper edges, respectively, of inclined surfaces which may be formed either at the. ends or along the bottom next to the sides of the tray, and in either case said inclined surfaces are oblique to the. main portion of the bottom of the tray. In use the extreme edges instead of the corners of the plate would rest upon the inclined surfaces, thereby raising the plate from contact with the bottom of the tray as effectually as if the former touched only at the corners, while leaving the bottom equally free from abrupt surfaces.

An important advantage of my improved construction is that should the tray be employed as a receptacle for a fixing solution the film side of the plate may be placed downwardly therein, thereby avoiding the accumulation upon its surface of sedimentary deposits which are liable to cloud or mettle the plate, especially when alum is employed as a constituent of the fixing-bath. I

My improved tray has the further advan tages of being cheaply constructed and easily cleaned after use.

Having thus described my invention,

claim- The combination with the bottom and side walls of a photographers negative-tray, of inclined surfaces forming a part of the bottom proper, as distinguished from the side walls, the plane of each of which inclined surfaces is oblique to that of the main portion of the bottom of the tray, substantially as described. In testimony whereof I have signed this specification, in the presence of two-subscribing witnesses, this 9th day of June, 1898.

JAMES H. SMITH. Witnesses:

D. H. FLETCHER, JOSEPHINE S. MCGREGOR. 

